American English sound
/b/: how to pronounce “b” in bat, baby and job
/b/ is made by closing both lips and releasing them, with your voice on. It's the voiced partner of /p/.
Two things trip learners up: keeping the voice at the end of words (job, not “jop”), and keeping a full closure between vowels, where some languages soften /b/ toward /v/.
/b/
the “b” sound
How to make the sound
- 1Close your lips.
- 2Turn your voice on before you open them: you should feel a buzz.
- 3Release the lips without a big puff of air.
- 4At the end of a word, keep the voice through the closure: job, cab, rub.
- Tongue
- tip-down
- Lips
- neutral
- Voice
- voiced
Hear it in words
Tap a word to hear it.
At the start
In the middle
At the end
How it's spelled
- b / bb: bat, baby, rabbit
- silent b: comb, climb, doubt, debt
Common mistakes
Losing the voice at the end: “jop”
German, Russian and Turkish speakers often devoice final b. Keep the buzz: cab is not cap.
Softening it toward /v/
Spanish speakers may let the lips not quite close in baby or about. Close them fully.
Pronouncing silent b
Comb, climb, thumb, doubt and debt have no b sound.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs by one sound. If both words sound the same when you say them, practice this pair.
Try it
“Bob's baby brother grabbed a big blue ball.”
Record a sentence and get a score for every sound, /b/ included. Free, no account.
Questions
Why is the b silent in comb and doubt?
In comb, climb and thumb, a b after m stopped being pronounced centuries ago. In doubt and debt, scholars added a b to match Latin (dubitare, debitum); it was never pronounced in English.
How do I keep b and v apart?
For /b/ both lips close completely; for /v/ the upper teeth touch the lower lip. Look in a mirror on berry and very.